Academic resilience and policy reform in France

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to the French education system, disrupting learning and exacerbating pre-existing inequalities. This chapter examines the resilience of France's centralised education system, which enabled a swift and coordinated response to the crisis, including the implementation of emergency measures such as the ma classe à la maison digital learning platform, the vacances apprenantes programme, and the stages de réussite tutoring initiative. Unlike many other countries, France minimised school closures, prioritising educational continuity while addressing disparities in access to remote learning tools. Post-pandemic, the focus shifted to long-term recovery, with reforms targeting learning losses, digitalisation, and equity. These included expanding digital infrastructure, enhancing teacher training, and implementing innovative teaching practices. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this chapter explores the extent of learning losses in mathematics, reading, and science, as well as disparities between socioeconomic groups in France. It evaluates the policy interventions implemented during and after the pandemic and discusses their capacity to address these challenges. The findings provide insights into the key lessons learnt from the French response and offer strategies to improve the resilience and equity of the education system in future crises